The Gym At Maghera

The Gym At Maghera The Gym At Maghera is a privately owned gym that offers small group personal training, and large gro

22/03/2026

Paddy Buggy All Ireland Hurling Champions .patrickscollege.

Super result for this group of lads and management team of , and everyone connected to the school.

Some of these lads are now leaving school with a Macrory Cup title and a Hogan Cup (Ulster Provincial Title & All-Ireland winners) from last year and now an All-Ireland hurling title.

Two years of relentless effort by them and all coaches involved.

Hard Work Works💪🔵⚪️⚫️.

Standard training videos of training to follow.

03/03/2026

Training for our clients since January.

Supramaximal eccentric split squats for ACL rehabbers - 65kg x 5, with 97kg x 5.

ACL rehabber Aidan Kelly performing modified eccentric quasi isometrics on leg curl.

Masters athlete in bottom of dorsiflexion range of calf raise with isometric yielding.

82kg x 5 on Supra-maximal eccentrics calf raise for who had TTO surgery for patella instability.

Our Return to Play framework has clients move through various stages of training with an exit criteria in place at each stage to determine their level of readiness to progress to more intense, complex, and faster tasks.

From isometric yielding to iso pushing contractions to build tissue capacity, to eccentric training including tempo training, supramaximal eccentrics and eccentric quasi isometrics, and faster velocity based exercises.

We have a framework that works for us that includes a continuum of progressively overloaded exercises from intensity, complexity, speed, and variability but in the real world of performance rehab and training it’s very rarely a straight forward linear progression.

Recent testing for our post surgery rehabbers showing all are on track with some quite a bit ahead of schedule.

Our next intake is now open for performance rehab. DM for more info.

03/03/2026

Training from January for some of our ACL clients with coach Michael. Supra-maximal eccentric work for on Keiser leg extension, 92kg split squats for .martin, 77.5kg calf raise for , and knee flexion/hip extension combo exercise for which works concentric & eccentric phases. I have used supra-maximal eccentric work with rehab & performance based routines as far back as 20 years ago with clients and myself when learning it late 90’s at uni. S**t I’m getting older. Side-note - we had spotters either side for heavy squats to assist on way up so not sure how we all didn’t end up with back surgery. Tried it with cleans when we understood less about training..😭. So it’s not new but thankfully it’s gaining more popularity. It fits into our Return to Play and performance framework at key stages and provides an opportunity to not only reduce strength deficits between the injured and non-injured leg, but to prepare the joints for deceleration training.

17/01/2026

The start of another training year.

Some training from the last week.

Long Term Athletic Development Program for under 18 school group - tempo based training to help develop eccentric strength. An essential prerequesite for long term speed & power development. Slow it down to get faster longterm.

Reverse engineering eccentric rate of force development (ability to aborb & generate force during lengthening phase) and Randy Huntington & Rolf Ohmans Dynamic Isometric Strength concept or Elasticity Index > the ability to switch rapidly from a fast eccentric to concentric.

Our first step in developing this quality longterm for youth athletes is tempo based prescriptions.The ability to handle submaximal loads for longer durations during the eccenterc/lowering phase of each rep.

Supramaximal eccentric split squats - using a load beyond a true 1RM, for gaelic player & ACL client with the help of spotters and coach . Developing higher levels of eccentric strength is vital for braking & deceleration performance. Having put over 150 players through our ACL & Knee rehab programs, the stronger we can help our athletes to be both eccentrically and isometrically, the better they can handle the forces from decelerating and changing direction on the pitch.

Change of direction training for our under 18 school group as part of our braking & change of direction framework. We teach where to position limbs and body segments for efficient movement to reduce injury risk and to improve performance.

Gym closed until Monday 5th of January.Will reply to training related messages at end of month.
24/12/2025

Gym closed until Monday 5th of January.

Will reply to training related messages at end of month.

Coaching Eye Mentorship completed with one of the best and renowned coaches in the game Dan Pfaff .Included over the las...
15/12/2025

Coaching Eye Mentorship completed with one of the best and renowned coaches in the game Dan Pfaff .

Included over the last three months, a deep dive in:

✅️ Movement Identification
✅️ Movement Interpretation
✅️ Movement Red Flags
✅️ Movement Intervention

Multiple live coaching calls with a huge emphasis on analysing biomechanics and sporting movement patterns that are causing injury or limiting performance.

No cookie cutter programs/exercises or done for you templates, instead a thought process based on helping us develop a framework unique to our environment.

A fantastic learning experience that exceeded all expectations so no surprise from where the cost of investment is always well worth it.

Dan and anyone at Altis will get you to think and ask better questions while gently nudging you in the right direction to find the solution to the movement or injury problem. This approach isn't for everyone it's a lot harder than being given a protocol or watching a bunch of exercises for a certain condition but the time invested in learning pays off.

Now to sit down and go through all the material again, whilst highlighting knowledge gaps that need filled before joining up again in the new year.

Day 2 Masterclass completed in Amsterdam.Hamstrings - a multifactorial approach to rehab and prevention with Jurdan Mend...
16/11/2025

Day 2 Masterclass completed in Amsterdam.

Hamstrings - a multifactorial approach to rehab and prevention with Jurdan Mendiguchia who is one of the most in demand physios for complex hamstring injuries in European soccer.

A prolific researcher and full time physio in european soccer, Jurdan has devoted his career to studying in great depth the hamstring conundrum and has done an incredible job of researching various factors relating to solving the most complex of cases.

He has progressed and evolved his approach over the years due to newer findings.

No photos on here of Jurdan's full day masterclass due to his reluctance to be on social media so gotta respect his privacy and his work. Instead photos of Bodys World - real bodies preserved by plastination🙂.

Im summary:
✅️ Biology of tissue healing.
✅️ Detailed Assessment process. Strength is very small part of it.
✅️ Mechanics of sprinting - "The end task and output is sprinting so understand it." Jurdan.
✅️ Hardware versus software. What's the main driver. His own research shows interesting findings.
✅️ ROM, Flexibility, mobility. Huge correlation to sprint mechanics. The gurus & new kids on the block on social media will tell you its the ribcage and not to stretch..
✅️ Lumbo pelvic control assessments & interventions. Again the link between flexibility > pelvis > sprinting and hamstring injuries.
✅️ Vast majority of research on hamstrings is on strength but very little on other factors which Jurdan has shown makes up greater part of the equation.
✅️ Acute phase > Regeneration phase > Functional phase
✅️ Weekly training format for teams.
✅️ Cognition and the brain's role in injury.
✅️ How to individualise the process.

Criteria based and data driven on pro and amateur soccer players with very little left out.

Worthwhile trip to Amsterdam, although I've completed courses online with Jurdan and JB, meeting in person takes the understanding and knowledge to a much higher level.

Now to apply it and put into a framework for The Gym at Maghera.

Day 1 completed of a 2 day Masterclass in Amsterdam.Today's series of lectures and practicals was with the renowned Fren...
14/11/2025

Day 1 completed of a 2 day Masterclass in Amsterdam.

Today's series of lectures and practicals was with the renowned French Biomechanist .morin.1 phd. JB is known for his research on force-velocity profiling in acceleration and max velocity sprinting. Also for mentoring and overseeing research into the foot and ankle and its correlation to sprinting, jumping, and change of direction.

Topics covered today:

✅️ Concepts, key factors and methods of evaluating kinetics - force-velocity profiles in team sports & track athletes. And kinematics - running patterns > how the body moves. Implications for performance versus injury risk and rehab.

✅️ Use of lab based and field tests for the practitioner to evaluate. Use of various resisted devices and training application for all levels.

✅️ Improving sprint performance through the force production - transmission model.

✅️ Foot-ankle complex strength and power: practical assessment and training interventions.

Excellent work by JB and his team but more importantly his ability and willingness to make this information and knowledge applicable to coaching and not to remain in the lab only.

Tomorrow its day 2 and another masterclass by one of the best physios in the world involved in hamstring research, lumbo pelvic control and sprint mechanics.

2 days well spent with one of the world's greatest coaches Dan Pfaff from America.Although currently in Dan's online Coa...
09/11/2025

2 days well spent with one of the world's greatest coaches Dan Pfaff from America.

Although currently in Dan's online Coaching Eye mentorship, and having completed many of Altis online courses, nothing beats going directly to the source and meeting them in person.

For those not familiar with his work - coach to world champions & world record holders and known famously in track & field, and elite sport for his ability to solve complex injuries which resulted in saving athletic careers.

Topics covered:

✅️ Speed for team sports and track & field. Mechanics of Acceleration & Velocity.
✅️ Building technical models to improve performance and to understand what efficient and poor movement looks like.
✅️ Injuries - checklists in global movement. Going beyond the symptoms of injury and finding the root cause.
✅️ Rotational Joint dynamics.
✅️ Video & kinograms to help develop a better coaching eye.
✅️ Performance Therapy - application.

Although studying the above in detail for Dan's mentorship, Friday & Saturday helped even more to put a few of the jigsaw pieces together.

Weekend 1 of 3 back to back courses completed yesterday.An action packed workshop at SSC Santry Dublin for  the Foot-Ank...
02/11/2025

Weekend 1 of 3 back to back courses completed yesterday.

An action packed workshop at SSC Santry Dublin for the Foot-Ankle Strength & Conditioning from Rehab to Sport Performance with from France.

When a man spends 5 years researching the foot & ankle from early stage rehab right through to sports performance its best to go learn from them🙂.

Everything covered from function to assessments to intervention strategies.

Top class information from Romain. And great to get a catch up with & two top class rehab specialists & men, and long time study buddy and one of the best in the business who has been attending courses with me since 2004. Were getting older not sure wiser😁.

Back at it next weekend & weekend after. The search for the holy grail continues🤣🤣.

New 8 week block of Large Group Training begins tonight.✅️ Strength training✅️ Aerobic Conditioning✅️ High Intensity Int...
18/08/2025

New 8 week block of Large Group Training begins tonight.

✅️ Strength training

✅️ Aerobic Conditioning

✅️ High Intensity Interval training

✅️ Mobility

DM to book or enquire.

Address

Unit 8B, 36 Fallylea Road
Maghera
BT465JT

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 10am
3:45pm - 9pm
Tuesday 6am - 9am
3:45pm - 11pm
Wednesday 6am - 10am
3:45pm - 9pm
Thursday 3:45pm - 9pm
Friday 6am - 9am
10am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Gym At Maghera posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Gym At Maghera:

Share

Category